The truancy officer never rests: New law fills up court with charges against parents
Misdemeanor charges nearly triple over previous school year
School’s out for summer! Truancy Court is not.
Polk County court officials will spend the summer catching up with a surge in filings after the Iowa Legislature took aim at chronic absenteeism last year.
I did a deep dive into Truancy Court a few weeks ago. The lesson: Solving absenteeism is rarely a quick fix. The root causes are often complex, and the threat of a fine or jail against a parent goes only so far in solving the problem.
Truancy Court is not a rocket docket. A single case can take months to resolve. All parties — the judge, prosecutor, defense attorney, and school officials — work together with the parent. The goal is to address the reasons for absenteeism, get the student in class regularly, and ultimately dismiss the simple misdemeanor charge.
In the 2024-25 school year, the Polk County Attorney’s Office has filed charges against 239 parents. That compares with 62 charges in the 2023-24 school year.
The big increase was sparked by legislation passed in 2024 making changes to Iowa’s compulsory education law. The new requirements were tucked in an education appropriations bill with little opportunity for discussion. The law sent school and court officials scrambling.
Among other changes, the new law required schools to spend thousands of dollars on sending certified letters to parents when a student missed 10% or more of the days or hours in a grading period. The state also required schools to be more restrictive on what constitutes an excused absence.
After widespread confusion and complaints, the Iowa Legislature made some tweaks in the latest session. Schools can now email parents instead of sending certified letters. The reasons for unexcused absences were expanded to include traveling for a wedding or funeral, among other reasons.
Under the law, when a student’s absences reach 15%, the school must hold a student engagement meeting with the family to identify barriers and create a plan to improve attendance.
But legislators must have heard an earful from parents of high-achieving students who missed school because of club soccer or other extracurriculars. Now, under the amended law, the school holds the student engagement meeting only if the “absences are negatively affecting the child’s academic progress.”
The changes will likely not mean fewer filings, however. As I reported, the reasons behind absenteeism are varied and complex: Limited parental supervision, lack of transportation, behavioral issues and learning disabilities, mental illness and other health problems, bullying, and on and on. Schools see societal ills in spades.
The promising news is that only a handful of cases end up in guilty pleas — usually with a fine of $50 to $100. Most are dismissed without charges because the student made improvements in attendance.
In court on Wednesday, Judge Brent Pattison praised parents whose children made great progress.
“One missed day in two months? That’s outstanding,” the judge said to a mother of an 11-year-old with a history of missing 40 days each year she has been in school. The school recommended the family establish a good routine and continue the progress after summer break. The judge set the next court date in October, with hopes the case could be dismissed.
Another middle schooler had zero absences since early April. The mom said she had gotten counseling for her daughter and complimented school officials for their assistance. She also said she’d become better at saying to her daughter, “No, you need to go to school.”
Judge Pattison complimented the parent. “Great job of not being a pushover,” he said.
The stick of a criminal charge may work in some situations. It would be better, however, to address the issue in the classroom, before it ever reaches a courtroom. Perhaps legislators could consider more carrots in the form of funding to incentivize schools to intervene earlier and improve attendance. We all would benefit in the investment.
As Victor Hugo said, “He who opens a school door, closes a prison.”
Explore the impressive lineup of writers, plus Letters from Iowans, in the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. They are from around the state and contribute commentary and feature stories of interest to those who care about Iowa.
Explore the impressive lineup of writers, plus Letters from Iowans, in the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. They are from around the state and contribute commentary and feature stories of interest to those who care about Iowa.
